The anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is poised to become the first far-right group to enter the German parliament in the post-war era. A strong showing in Sunday's vote would be a major snub for Angela Merkel.

Even as the European Union's largest economy, Germany's ''economic miracle'' does not extend to the whole country. In the eastern village of Dorfchemnitz, shops are shutting down, young people seek their futures elsewhere, and its 1,500 inhabitants feel abandoned by the elite. So when the far-right AfD party comes to town, there's a lot of interest.

"Things can't go on as they are – it's that simple," one resident tells FRANCE 24.

"We need the AfD to sort everything out here," says another.

Frauke Petry, one of the leading figures of the nationalist movement, was on friendly ground when she spoke here this week. At the heart of her speech were the themes of German identity and culture, as well as criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has become the AfD's bête noire for her open-door refugee policy.